tonight, bracing for a monster hurricane. florence now on a collision course with the east coast. you can see the eye of the storm fully formed, winds reaching 140 miles per hour. the category 4 storm expected to slam into the carolinas and virginia. tonight, mandatory evacuations for more than 1.5 million americans. traffic on both pseudos of the highway going in the same direction now to get out. the governor warning this could be deadly. and the other major factor with this, what the hurricane is expected to do once it hits land. another system will trap it right in place. we're live tonight amid the mass evacuations, with the new track and the timing. president trump tonight declaring the government is, quote, totally prepared for the puerto rico response a, quote, incredible, unsung success. >> on live television.

doctors, nurses and patients evacuated. a man screaming, reportedly threatening he had a gun. >> responding to downie kaiser, active shooter zblcht authorities on the scene right now. the new images tonight. the man who police say was just moments from setting fire to his condominium building to, quote, kill all of the jews inside. discovered with two gasoline containers. and tonight, what else we've learned. and on this 9/11, a nation remembers, 17 years later. and what we heard today from florence jones. all these years later. good evening. and it's great to have you with us here on a tuesday night. and we begin tonight with that enormous and powerful hurricane bearing down on the east coast. unfortunately, the forecast models have now converged, this does look like it's going to be a direct hit. winds tonight at 140 miles per hour. the national weather service just out with its newest

guidance tonight. hurricane florence is a category 4, likely to make landfall along the coast of the carolinas friday morning between 6:00 a.m. an noon. this all could change, of course, and just look at this tonight. the eye clearly visible right there. and very strong storm. and one of the things they're also worried about is once it slams into the u.s., another system might just hold it in place, dumping several feet of rain. and at this hour, 10 million people in its path, this image says it all. both sides of the highway there in south carolina going in the same direction tonight to help people get out. millions across several states will be effected by this. north carolina's governor tonight warning this could be deadly. tonight, the newest track, when it hits and abc's steve osunsami leading us off. >> reporter: from charleston to columbia tonight, and from myrtle beach into north carolina and virginia, more than a million and a half people are heading one way -- away from danger. >> enough clothes for about a week, in case we can't come back right away. >> reporter: jennifer forte and her son, robbie, piled their dog into the car and didn't look

back. her neighborhood floods during storms. they're headed to greenville. >> we're on the island, we have to leave. we don't have a choice. it gets really scary out here in storms. >> reporter: the sessoms family is already on the road. >> we're escaping hurricane florence. we live in wilmington, north carolina. >> reporter: they were stuck in traffic today, on their way to asheville. >> good luck to everybody out there in the path of hurricane florence. >> reporter: the eye of the storm is only getting bigger. and hurricane supplies, like bottles of water, are getting smaller. >> i'm getting it for my sister, my brother, my dad and my children. >> reporter: the governors of north and south carolina say their evacuations are mandatory. in south carolina, they cover most of the coastline. >> this storm is a monster. it's big and it's vicious. >> we are in a very deadly and important game of chess with hurricane florence. >> reporter: but so many families on the roads tonight are headed to cities like raleigh, where forecasters worry the storm could stall and bring 35 inches of flooding rains.

>> get up to raleigh and get the house ready up there, because it's not looking so great up there, either. >> reporter: jeff nichols told us that his wife wants to leave, but he wants to stay. >> it can divide families, when some of the family wants to leave and some wants to stay. >> reporter: the johnsons are having similar debate. she wants to obey the evacuation order, he's not so sure. you guys haven't really decided? >> not of yet. we're packing like we're leaving but we hope we get to stay. >> reporter: before we left, a hurricane alert lit up their phones and may have changed their minds. >> is that my sign? >> no. no, we'll -- >> we need to look at the news. >> steve osunsami live in charleston, south carolina, and steve, i know those hurricane alerting coming through on so many phones, urging folks to take this seriously, because once it hits, it's the rain afterward expected to be potentially life-threatening, as well. >> reporter: that's right, david. and we can show you what people are so afraid of. look at where we're standing right now. we're at the corner of east bay and water street. and a year ago this time, when

hurricane irma hit, this is what it looked like. streets were flooded. cars were under water. and this wasn't even a direct hit. they don't call this the low country, david, for nothing. >> that's right. that was several hours after irma made landfall in florida. steve, thank you. a powerful reminder of what this will do. as steve reported, there is a massive effort to get ready for this hurricane. families, businesses and communities are boarding up buildings and racing to get supplies. hundreds of national guard troops have been called up to help. authorities warning the flash flooding and power outages could last days or even weeks. abc's gio benitez in kitty hawk, north carolina, tonight. >> reporter: tonight, a nderway. from virginia to maryland to the carolinas. communities along the coast bracing their towns for florence. fema trucks on the ground in north carolina delivering supplies. at low country food bank, workers help pack disaster relief boxes. teams from local fire departments and the red cross are already coming in from louisiana, indiana, even

north dakota. the salvation army disaster recovery team on the ground. you guys are taking this very seriously. >> oh, this is extremely serious. we've got a number of volunteers, actually we've got over 3 million volunteers across the nation that can help us. >> reporter: city officials in virginia with truckloads of sand for residents to reinforce their homes with. in dorchester county, south carolina, terry mathews just one of hundreds bagging dirt to protect their homes. >> we're right on the river, so, just getting everything ready, bringing everything inside, getting everything set up. >> reporter: so many local businesses and families boarding up, trying to shore up what they have before they evacuate. >> we're trying to get everything taken care of that might lift and might fly, a missile hazard. we're going to tie down everything we can. we're going to secure all of the major entrances to the house. >> reporter: this couple has lived here in the outer banks for 22 years. they say they live prepared and are ready.

>> our shutters are always where they need to be accessible. when a storm starts coming in, we get them out and we put them up to protect the windows. >> wishing for the best for all those families who are getting their homes ready. gio benitez with us tonight. you met families there doing what they can, obviously to secure their homes and now they're getting out, worried about the low-lying areas? >> reporter: yeah, that's right, david. they are taking this very, very seriously. mandatory evacuations are under way right now for both residents and visitors. and i want to show you the view from the air right now. our drone cam, because this is what residents are really concerned about. those low-lying areas, all of this water here in this area. this storm surge could be devastating. david? >> gio benitez with us tonight, as well. gio, thank you. let's break this down, when we think this is going to hit, shifting as we get closer. rob marciano live tonight in wrightsville beach, fk north carolina. take us through the track. >> reporter: the track hasn't changed a whole lot, david. but the timing has. now not expected to arrive until friday. even though it's under 800 miles

away and moving this direction at 17 miles per hour. it will slow down eventually. 1 140-mile-an-hour ones. tomorrow, could become a category 5 storm. high going to slow things down and that's not necessarily good news. but it brings it in on friday. the worst of the weather will be from 8:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon. hurricane warnings are posted. storm surge, up to 13 feet in spots. and beyond that, the rainfall inland is going to be significant. two to three feet of it, david, so, far away from the coastline here, there will be life-threatening conditions for multiple days after this storm eventually hits. david? >> rob marciano, you heard him say it. two to three feet of rain. rob, thank you. president trump talking about the impending hurricane tonight at a briefing with the fema director and homeland security chief, saying the government is, kwoequote, total prepared for this hurricane. the president went on to talk about the response to last year's hurricanes, saying the response to puerto rico was, yote, an absolute unsung success. here's abc's senior white house

correspondent cecilia vega tonight. >> reporter: president trump today sounding the alarm and promising his administration is ready for hurricane florence. >> we are totally prepared, we're ready. we're as ready as anybody has ever been. they haven't seen anything like what's coming at us in 25, 30 years. maybe ever. it's tremendously big and tremendously wet. tremendous amounts of water. >> reporter: but even as he prepares for the coming storm, the president is raising eyebrows by praising his team's response to the last one -- puerto rico's devastating hurricane maria. >> i actually think it was one of the best jobs that's ever been done. >> reporter: the president ignoring the fact that maria was the deadliest hurricane in modern american history. >> i think puerto rico was incredibly successful. puerto rico was an incredible unsung success. >> reporter: his response criticized from the beginning.

he tossed paper towels to hurricane victims. and sitting next to puerto rico's governor, he declared maria's destruction far short of hurricane katrina's. >> if you look at a real catastrophe like katrina and you look at the tremendous hundreds and hundreds of people that died. what is your death count as of this moment? 17? >> 6 16 people, certified. >> 16 people, versus in the thousands. you can be very proud. >> reporter: the death toll was ultimately staggering, nearly 3,000 people. and now, as president trump and the nation brace for another potential disaster, the mayor of san juan telling abc news, "he never got it. he will never get it." >> all right, cecilia vega live from the white house. and cecilia, you were in the room with the president today and you did ask him what his message for americans in the path of this current hurricane is, and what did he say? >> reporter: david, he said, everybody should get out. you have to listen to your local authorities.

we know that fema is working closely with state governors. here at the white house, they are monitoring this storm around the clock. but you heard the president make that promise today, david, they say, he says the government is ready. >> all right, cecilia vega, we thank you. and we will stay on it. we want to point out involving the president early this morning, the president and the first lady visited shanksville, pa, where passengers and crew from united flight 93 stopped hijackers from attacking washington. the president saying the field is now a monument to american defiance, and a message to the world that america will never, every submit to tyranny. we'll have much more on this 9/11, images from around the country, and what we heard from a woman, a survivor, who you met right here. we have been following her for years. that's coming up. in the meantime, we do move onto other news this tuesday night, and a hospitalplaying ou angeles on live television. doctors, nurses, patients, all seen evacuating a medical center after report of an active shooter, a man allegedly saying he had a gun.

authorities then racing to the scene. that suspect in custody at this hour, and matt gutman is on the scene. >> reporter: tonight, an emergency evacuation at downey kaiser medical center south of los angeles, after reports of a possible shooter. >> responding code three to downie kaiser, active shooter. >> reporter: witnesses describing an angry man who was threatening people inside. some people taking cover, locking themselves into rooms. >> we just heard loud noises, shattered windows. >> and we just literally jumped and screamed and ran out. >> there you see a large law enforcement presence. >> reporter: heavily armed police descending on the scene, sweeping the campus floor by floor before confronting the suspect, who then surrendered. >> he was causing a disturbance inside the hospital. one of the kaiser security personnel went over and contacted him, at which time he threw a chair through a window. >> reporter: authorities have confirmed, david, they found a

gun on the scene, though they have not been able to confirm reports that it was fired multiple times. we do know, however, that nobody was hurt in that hospital ward behind me. david? >> matt gutman in downie, california. thank you, matt. and next, authorities have released surveillance video they say reveals a sinister plot to burn down an apartment building. cameras show the suspect pushing a cart down the hallway where he lived and then in the elevator, with gas canisters in the cart. tonight, he's facing attempted arson and hate crime charges, and here's abc's linsey davis with the images just out. >> reporter: tonight, for the first time, we see what prosecutors say was part of an alleged plot for a massacre at a florida condo. 72-year-old walter stolper, now behind bars, caught on surveillance video to, quote, "kill all jews" -- a reference to his neighbors. back in july, police in miami beach say they stopped stolper before he was able to set fire to his condo after receiving a knowive of eviction. in the newly released video, we

see him pushing a shopping cart down the halls and then inside an elevator. once inside the elevator, he lifts the cloth, revealing gas containers. police located this storage room with 28 additional containers with gasoline, sulfur powder and potassium nitrate. >> he had already poured gasoline down 15 floors of this building. >> reporter: he allegedly bought padlocks and planned to place them on the fire hoses to prevent the fire department putting a fire out. but before he could carry out his alleged plan, police tipped off by this man. >> he was tired of the association in the building, the jews in the building. he told me was going to burn the building. >> reporter: he faces first degree arson, premedrime charge. a judge has ordered a psychological evaluation before moving forward with the case. david? >> linzsey davis with us tonigh. thank you. there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this tuesday. the chilling robbery, the search for suspects tonight. and they need the suspepublic's.

the suspect seen on surveillance stealing money out of his hand and stealing from the store. they did not help him. there is news tonight about elizabeth smart, that kidnapping case that made national headlines, of course. why one of her kidnappers is about to be set free. and the pilot flying solo. it was her first trip across the country, trying to make an emergency landing because of something that happened mid-flight. you'll hear the emergency audio as the news continues. stay tuned. tuned. room. your privacy makes you my number 1 place to go number 2. i love you, but sometimes you stink. febreze air effects doesn't just mask, it cleans away odors. because the things you love the most can sti and try febreze small spacesorfp days. breathe happy with febreze.

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>> reporter: fear in her voice while she was embarking on her first solo cross-country flight from massachusetts to maine. >> i was really scared at first. just kind of felt my heart sink. and i realized, like, i'm all alone. >> reporter: taraska relying on her training and her instructor on the ground to land safely. >> maggie, this is john. how are you doing? >> i'm okay. >> okay, you're doing a great job flying the airplane. just try to relax, and you always heard me say, go back to basics, so, we're going to work the basics here as much as possible, okay? >> all right. >> reporter: emergency responders standing by as she lands the plane on the runway before skidding onto the grass. >> bad things happen all the time and it can't deter you from doing what you want to do or doing what you love. >> reporter: david, that brave pilot walked away without injury and plans on getting back up in the air this week. she also hopes to join the air force. the faa is investigating the understand dent. david? >> brave pilot. kayna, thank you. when we come back, the major recall tonight involving eggs and salmonella. and that robbery, the clerk

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if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. to the index of other news. the robbery in auburn, washington. the clerk collapsing from a heart attack. the thieves then steal from him. they did not help him. the owner is in critical condition tonight. police are looking for the suspects. the controversial decision tonight in the elizabeth smart case. wanda bar see, who helped kidnap smart in 2002, will be released from prison in utah next week, nearly six years early. authorities say they miscalculated her time served in federal custody. smart calling the decision tonight incomprehensible. and that egg recall in three states tonight. gravel ridge farms recalling eggs. the cdc says at least 14 cases have been reported in alabama, georgia and tennessee. packages have a best if used by day of october 3rd. when we come back tonight, someone we heard from on this 9/11 we think you will all want to hear. to hear. george woke up in pain.

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finally tonight here, it is hard to believe it's been 17 years. we must never forget. and there's a woman i have never forgotten about. her story, her heart. peter jennings first reported on florence jones after 9/11. of the last 25 people out of the south tower, she was number 18. we have followed her ever since. with her for that first trip to see the reflecting pools. >> wow. >> reporter: the names of so many of her friends lost. there was the year we went with

her to the new 9/11 museum. americans from all over the country now visiting. this is florence's quote here on the wall. back then, saying, if i didn't move quick enough, i was going to be dead. she took off her shoes that morning, her boss carrying them so she could get down the stairs faster. in the museum, a stairwell so many used that day. and we saw something together. there are the shoes. after years of keeping her shoes from that day in a box under her bed, florence donating them to the museum. when you look at these, what do you think? >> i think they're in the best possible place they could be. i knew they needed to be here. >> yrs afr talk with flence againbo day. thtwin towers, the pentagon, shanksville, pennsylvania, where there were ceremonies held today. >> i do run through in my head and my heart still aches

for those people that needlessly lost their life. >> reporter: and florence shared with us her hope. >> i hope that doesn't just become a date on a calendar. i hope people do something, you know, maybe in service, in volunteer work. >> reporter: she has since brought her family to the museum and told us she's grateful she was there for her niece's wedding. and i'll never forget taking florence atop the new 4 world trade. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: and what she saw. this was your view? >> that was my favorite view. >> reporter: and her words about those we lost, who whose andse >> we're not forgetting. we're remembering the people, and i think that's a good thing. >> thank you, florence. and we remember all of the families who lost loved one live where you live, this is >> i'm about to turn around and go home. >> give up?

>> what else can we do? >> a long wait for some truck drivers as a grass fire closes off roads to traffic in solano county. good afternoon and thank you for joining us. i'm ama >> the fire burned about 500 acres this three hours' time. the fires kicked up a lot of smoke. >> leslie brinkley is live in solano county near where the fire is believed to have started. leslie? >> and the first thing you'll notice is the wind. problems out here today. charred, black earth along grizzly island road. the fire is believed to have started here near the entra an area for nature walks. it quickly moved east. like you said, extremely smoky

out here. the smoke blew with the wind in various directions, and we dodged around it to get you this video. the leading wall of flame climbed up and down the dry grass lands in the center of grizzly island south of suisun city. 18 engines from 8 different fire departments responded here to keep the brushfire from spreading. they cut firebreaks with dozers. crews from the potrero hills landfill worked the edges with water trucks. >> gusts up to 20. the smoke is impacting kind of the city of dixon, vacaville areas. so unfortunately, if we can get it out a little quicker it doesn't impact as much people. i think we did an okay job today of trying to catch it where we